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Papers, 1812-1865.

The Samuel Francis Du Pont Papers include correspondence with more than 1,500 individuals. There is a good deal of official and semi-official correspondence describing naval practices and policies as well as Du Pont's career. Of particular interest are letters from British diplomats and naval officers during the 1840s and 50s describing the operations of the British Navy. Letters received from William B. Reed, American minister to China, document the negotiations leading up to the Treaty of Tientsin which opened up China to western trade. Letters from American missionaries Samuel Wells and William and Edward Syle describe the missionary movement in China and efforts to eradicate the opium trade. The files also contain correspondence reflecting Du Pont's role in the Naval Efficiency Board and the reform movement which sought to modernize the navy as it moved into the age of steam.

The Mexican War correspondence is particularly detailed. These files describe the operation of the California blockade and the assault on Monterey. The Civil War papers form the largest block of material. There are more than 1000 letters and official dispatches addressed to Secretary of the Navy Gideon Wells and his assistant Gustavus Fox. These describe the operation of the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron, the establishment of the Port Royal base, and controversy over the defeat of the Union ironclads at Charleston.

Instead of keeping a private journal, Du Pont addressed a series of more than 400 letters to his wife, Sophie. These so-called journal letters provide a detailed account of Du Pont's naval career. There are also letters describing his early travels to the Mediterranean and social life in Wilmington and Philadelphia. A letter to Charles Henry Davis (1850) contains Du Pont's comments on Melville's WHITE-JACKET.

The collection also contains Du Pont's official letter books which document the cruises of the CONGRESS and the CYANE (Mexican War period); the cruise of the MINNESOTA to Japan and China (1857-59); the commission in charge of the Japanese embassy (1860) and the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron (1861-1863).

Abstract:

The Samuel Francis Du Pont Papers include correspondence with more than 1,500 individuals. There is a good deal of official and semi-official correspondence describing naval practices and policies as well as Du Pont's career. Of particular interest are letters from British diplomats and naval officers during the 1840s and 50s describing the operations of the British Navy. Letters received from William B. Reed, American minister to China, document the negotiations leading up to the Treaty of Tientsin which opened up China to western trade. Letters from American missionaries Samuel Wells and William and Edward Syle describe the missionary movement in China and efforts to eradicate the opium trade. The files also contain correspondence reflecting Du Pont's role in the Naval Efficiency Board and the reform movement which sought to modernize the navy as it moved into the age of steam.

The Mexican War correspondence is particularly detailed. These files describe the operation of the California blockade and the assault on Monterey. The Civil War papers form the largest block of material. There are more than 1000 letters and official dispatches addressed to Secretary of the Navy Gideon Wells and his assistant Gustavus Fox. These describe the operation of the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron, the establishment of the Port Royal base, and controversy over the defeat of the Union ironclads at Charleston.

Instead of keeping a private journal, Du Pont addressed a series of more than 400 letters to his wife, Sophie. These so-called journal letters provide a detailed account of Du Pont's naval career. There are also letters describing his early travels to the Mediterranean and social life in Wilmington and Philadelphia. A letter to Charles Henry Davis (1850) contains Du Pont's comments on Melville's WHITE-JACKET.

The collection also contains Du Pont's official letter books which document the cruises of the CONGRESS and the CYANE (Mexican War period); the cruise of the MINNESOTA to Japan and China (1857-59); the commission in charge of the Japanese embassy (1860) and the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron (1861-1863).